


on the record

by damnmysterytome



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Celebrity/Fan AU, F/M, Karen is a journalist - Frank is a famous author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 20:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6392725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damnmysterytome/pseuds/damnmysterytome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Can I ask why you only do one interview? I mean these books are so popular you could do more than -”</p>
<p>“I didn’t write the first book to be popular. Or the second, or the third. I didn’t write any of these with the hope of being popular.” Frank interrupted. Karen looked up at him from her notebook and nodded. When she asked why did he write the books then, he got quiet. Karen almost worried he hadn’t heard her or that she had said something wrong. She opened her mouth to change the subject, but Frank cut her off before she could. “I wrote the first book after my wife and children were killed in a massacre in the park.” Karen looked down at her notebook, in all her research about Frank there was never anything about that in her files. “I thought it was better than going out and killing every son of a bitch in Hell’s Kitchen part of those groups.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	on the record

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to castlesfrank on tumblr for picking out the title!

“Frank Castle?” Karen asked, stepping into the room that she was led to by a man in a dark suit. From the desk a man looked up at her and nodded at her. “I’m Karen Page, from the Bulletin.” He stood to his feet from behind the desk, waving his hand towards one of the seats in front of his desk.

She knew the man was Frank Castle, she’d met him before a few years before and, having read every single one of the Punisher novels, knew his face from the photo on the back. He was an attractive man, much more imposing when he was standing to his feet instead of sitting at a table.

“Ma'am.” He said, as she came forward. Karen held her hand out to shake his hand, her nerves attempting to take control over. Karen tried to push them out of her mind as he shook her hand. She pulled her hand from his and smoothed them over her skirt, setting her purse on the ground before she sat down. “Can I offer you something to drink?”

Karen lifted her head and looked towards the tray that had been brought in by someone who must have been his assistant. “Uh, coffee would be fine.” Frank moved from behind the desk and over to the drink table. Karen reached into her purse and pulled out her notebook that she used for interviews and her tape recorder. She didn’t like using it, but it was part of the job. “Two cream, two sugar.” She added as she heard the coffee be poured into a mug.

“Have we met before?” Frank asked, his back still to Karen.

“Yes, actually. A few years back, my friend and I were at a book signing.”

“Weird little fellow.”

“He’s scared of you.” Karen said with a laugh, unable to believe that he actually could remember that. His lines during signings were so long and popular, it was hard to imagine he actually remembered every single face. Maybe she stuck out.

“Are you?” Frank asked, craning his head around to look at her. Karen looked up at Frank and took in his appearance. He was a very imposing man, large broad shoulders and a no nonsense look on his face. His hair was cut short and his face was clean shaven. But there was a hint of something else in his eyes.

Karen looked him up and down again, his eyes falling on his face. “You don’t scare me.” She said softly. He nodded, a small smirk forming on his lips. He turned back to the mugs and poured himself a mug too. Frank returned a few moments later with two coffees. “Thank you.” She said as she took hers from him.

“You’re welcome.” He said as he came around his desk and sat across from Karen, his gaze falling on her as he took a sip from his coffee.

“And thank you for allowing me to do the interview, I know you only give one per book.” Karen said. She reached forward and lifted up her tape recorder so he could see it, and he nodded. Frank clearly knew the drill about being interviewed. She pressed the record button and set it on the desk between them so both of their voices would be picked. “Can I ask why you only do one interview? I mean these books are so popular you could do more than -”

“I didn’t write the first book to be popular. Or the second, or the third. I didn’t write any of these with the hope of being popular.” Frank interrupted. Karen looked up at him from her notebook and nodded. When she asked why did he write the books then, he got quiet. Karen almost worried he hadn’t heard her or that she had said something wrong. She opened her mouth to change the subject, but Frank cut her off before she could. “I wrote the first book after my wife and children were killed in a massacre in the park.” Karen looked down at her notebook, in all her research about Frank there was never anything about that in her files. “I thought it was better than going out and killing every son of a bitch in Hell’s Kitchen part of those groups.”

“Police report says it happened at a stoplight.” Karen said, flipping back a few pages in her notebook. “One guy came up and shot-”

“I know what the report says, ma'am.” Frank interrupted, setting his mug down on his desk with a bit of force. Karen jumped a bit and looked back up at him. “It’s horseshit.”

“I’m sorry.” Karen said, looking at the ground. Something dawned on her and she slowly looked up at him. “So the… The Punisher’s family..” She had read the books enough that she remembered what happened to his family, remembered the gruesome detail he went into. Karen let out a shaky breath and looked at Frank. “I’m so-” Frank lifted his hand up and waved her off, he didn’t need to hear it. “Why the other books then? If the first one was to stop you from going out and doing what the Punisher did then why the others? In the end of the first book, he gets what he wanted and killed the Blacksmith. So why did he continue? Why did you continue?”

Frank folded his hands together, elbows propping his arms up. He looked at Karen with and intense look, only to have his gaze completely returned. Not a lot of people had the courage to look at him straight on. “It felt good. In the books, Punisher gets to do the things I wish I could. Lives don’t need to be saved if the people who plan to take them are dead.” Karen could see the point in what he was saying. It was the same debate she said with her friends when they would get into debates. “You don’t seem bothered.”

Karen let out a laugh, shaking her head and brushing her hair from her face. “My friends and I kind of debate about the Punisher every time a new book comes out, it’s the same argument every time but we still get into it. I’m on The Punisher side, my friend is Matt on the ‘Punisher should be in jail’ side, and Foggy is kind of on the neutral side.” Karen explained. Frank chuckled and nodded, satisfied with her answer. “About your family… It’s off the record if you want it to be.”

  
  


 


End file.
